Memory cards are known in the art and contain intelligence in the form of a memory circuit or other electronic program. Some form of card reader reads the information or memory stored on the card. Such cards are used in many applications in today's electronic society, including video cameras, digital still cameras, smartphones, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multi-media cards and other electronic applications. Typically, a memory card includes a contact or terminal array for connection through a card connector to a card reader system and then to external equipment. The connector readily accommodates insertion and removal of the card to provide quick access to the information and program on the card. The card connector includes terminals for yieldingly engaging the contact array of the memory card. Ejecting devices often are provided for facilitating inserting and ejecting the memory card to and from the card connector.
A typical memory card connector includes an insulating housing structure usually having a lateral terminal-mounting section across the rear of the connector. The contacts or terminals of the connector are mounted on this lateral section. An overlying shell substantially covers the insulating housing and includes a cover plate defining a top of a cavity for receiving a memory card. The housing may have one or two legs projecting at right angles forwardly from one or both sides of the lateral section to define opposite sides of the cavity. The shell has a pair of side walls overlying the side legs of the housing. As stated above, an ejecting device may be provided for facilitating inserting and ejecting the memory card. The ejecting device may include a slider movably mounted on the housing and engageable with the memory card for movement therewith.
When a user inserts a memory card into the connector, it would be highly desirable if the user could get a tactile indication or “feel” that the card is at least temporarily contained in the connector. A temporary retention also can prevent the card from coming loose and falling out of the connector, resulting in possible loss of the card or at least breakage of the card on which important data is recorded. It has been known to use the slider of the ejecting device as a means for temporarily retaining the memory card in the connector.
For instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-291552, a lock spring 76 is projected into a slider 51 so that a projection 76a of the lock spring is resiliently mated with a side edge surface of a memory card 56 as seen in FIG. 2 thereof.
Another example of a connector for a memory card is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-83650. In that publication, a slider 5 includes a movable body 6 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof. In order to reduce parts in the prior art and to reduce the size of the connector, the movable body is backed up by a cantilever spring piece 26 formed on a side plate portion 23 of a steel case 1 (a metal shell). A tip end surface 61 of the movable body can evacuate a card from the connector. The tip end surface is engaged with a concave portion 120 formed in a side edge of a memory card 100 to temporarily retain the card in the connector.
A further example is shown in FIG. 15 herein. As shown, a spring plate 16 is stamped and formed out of an opening 17 in a side wall plate 18 of a metal shell of a connector. Again, the spring plate is of a cantilever structure and is joined to the side wall plate of the metal shell by a connecting section 19 at one end of spring plate 16. The spring plate is effective to engage a slider and bias a projection on the slider into engagement with a recess in a side edge of a memory card to temporarily retain the card. Unfortunately, such a cantilevered structure of spring plate 16 results in considerable weakening of side wall plate 18 of the metal shell.
The present invention is directed to solving the various problems of the prior art as described above.